some advice for a newby

[kevloon18]

whats up. im looking to get my first bike this summer to drive to work and use whenever i can.

my price range is about 1500 and under. ive been looking at ninjas and katanas because they are all i know about.

anyway, im 5,11 175 pounds, would a 250cc ninja or katana be TO small?

would an older early to mid 90s bike with 600cc be a better idea?

and what is considered a HIGH mileage bike. i found a 91 ninja 600 for 750 bux with 30k miles on it, is that to many to consider buying..

if i enjoy riding its probably going to be a one summer but and next summer ill move up to something else, unless this bike works out good.

thanks

kevin

[tammy610]

I quickly outgrew my 1996 Honda Shadow 600cc - I paid $1,8000 for it and it had 10,000 miles.

It was a great bike, easy for me to handle and everything but I'm only 5' 1", my hubby who is 6' was a little too tall for that bike.

The power just wasn't there for freeway travel, for around town it was snappy enough, but top end it was gutless.

[MikeHump]

Most people here won't recommend starting on a 600cc sport bike (like a ninja 600), however I'm learning on a 2007 gsx-r 600, so it would be hypocritical of my to tell you not to learn on a 600cc sport bike. IF you're responsible, the old 91 ninja 600 could be a good bike to learn on. The ninja 250 and rebel 250 are probably the 2 best beginner bikes you can get. We don't know much about you, so it's kind of hard to recommend a first bike, but I'd say you should start with a 250 to learn the basics, and then you can upgrade to any bike you want.

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by tammy610

I quickly outgrew my 1996 Honda Shadow 600cc - I paid $1,8000 for it and it had 10,000 miles.

It was a great bike, easy for me to handle and everything but I'm only 5' 1", my hubby who is 6' was a little too tall for that bike.

The power just wasn't there for freeway travel, for around town it was snappy enough, but top end it was gutless.

[robertc729]

My advice is to get yourself signed up for an MSF course, it will teach the basics of riding and should give you an idea of whether you would like riding, then buy a used starter bike and get lots of practice.

[Clint]

Originally Posted by tammy610

I quickly outgrew my 1996 Honda Shadow 600cc - I paid $1,8000 for it and it had 10,000 miles.

Let's be sure we're clear on one thing... a 600 cruiser is nothing like a 600 sportbike. The former is barely more than a scooter, the latter can be a 10-second track rocket.

To the OP, a 600 Kat isn't a bad choice IF you take the MSF course, and IF you wear proper gear for every ride. Search the forums a little. You'll find oodles of information on first bikes. There's some in my signature.

Welcome to both of you!

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

Let's be sure we're clear on one thing... a 600 cruiser is nothing like a 600 sportbike. The former is barely more than a scooter, the latter can be a 10-second track rocket.
Welcome to both of you!

And what the heck are you doing being so nice, I would have expected something like "now that you have your foot in your mouth, it's going to be kind of hard to talk".

Seriously Tammy, I don't want to put you off on this forum, but you really need to have some experience about a bike before you give advice on it. He is asking about a 600cc sport bike that might weigh only 400 lbs, and have well over 100 hp, the bike you refer to is a lot heaver with less than half that HP.

To both of you, and to kevloon18, go with your first instinct, and start on a smaller (used) bike.

[amvince]

and I have no idea which would be the best bike for you. It really depends on what you like.

[Uncle B]

A TEXAS

HOWDY " " NEIGHBOR


Oh what a great trip!!!

[SNAFU]

to M-J Kevin!

[kevloon18]

thanks for the help guys, it put things into perspective better. im going to stick with the 250cc bikes for this summer, id like to be around to ride for many more summers to come so ill start small and get the basics down.

thanks

PS what would a 40HP 250 Ninja be like on the highway, i dont plan on really using it for highway riding at all was just wondering.

[Rickster]

Wow, I had no idea a 250 Ninja made 40 hp, most 250cc street bikes make between 18 and 25 hp at the rear wheel, some off road 250cc race bikes make that kind of power, but I've never heard of a street legal one doing it. Where did you get your HP figures?

At you weight of 175 pounds, the 250 Ninja isn't going to be a rocket out of the hole, but it can & will keep up with all legal traffic.

One of the nice things about a smaller motor when you are first learning to ride is you don't depend on the motors power, you actually learn how to ride, and you will become a better rider in a shorter period of time.

[kevloon18]

got those figures from a link on RowdyRed94 sig said 40hp at crank not wheel though

Beginner Motorcycles, sport bikes under 600cc - Old Guy’s Beginners Guide to Motorcycle Riding

Unlike the 250cc standards and cruisers, the 40hp EX250 has sufficient power for freeway riding

my friend who is deadset on getting a bike refuses to settle for anything other then a 600cc bike, hes a few inches shorter then myself and cant weight more then 140... idk seems stupid to me, i know once we both are riding well im going to be jealous of his 600 though

but i do understand and agree with what you said about a smaller bike forces you to learn to ride better

[Clint]

Yeah, depends on the 600. A Katana or Bandit 600, for example, is a much better beginner bike than a GSXR/R6/ZX-6 racebike.

I started on an air-cooled 600 Yamaha making about 45 hp. It was scary fast for someone never having ridden a streetbike before, but wouldn't have been a bad starter bike for someone with some training. I had learned to shift on my brother's old dirtbike with less than an hour saddle time. It's nothing short of miraculous that I didn't kill myself. I did go to the hospital once, but only because I was wearing shorts.

In my defense, Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet and I had no idea how stupid I was. Now, I spend my days telling others how stupid they are. No need to thank me.

[kevloon18]

ill thank you anyway

thank you

[Rickster]

Don't worry, you won't be jealous when your riding skills far out weigh your buddy's, and even with 3 times the HP, he can't hang with you in the twisties.

There's a really big difference between learning to ride, and learning to twist the throttle, and your on the right track, my hats off to you.

[wookie]

Originally Posted by kevloon18

my friend who is deadset on getting a bike refuses to settle for anything other then a 600cc bike, hes a few inches shorter then myself and cant weight more then 140... idk seems stupid to me, i know once we both are riding well im going to be jealous of his 600 though

but i do understand and agree with what you said about a smaller bike forces you to learn to ride better

May the force be with your friend. He's going to need it.

Now for a little shameless self-promotion.

http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...ease-read.html

[Tab B.]

Chuckle!! Good advice here for you Kev. What I find funny, is how the sport has evolved. When I was starting out, my friends and I all pretty much started out on sub-500cc machines. It was considered normal then. I started on a 66 Ducati 250 scrambler in 76, that my dad had for the gas crisis of 73. It was a hurting unit by the time I got to ride it. Since it was his, I rode it until I had enough money/it broke. Then I got a 72 Suzuki T250J. It would compare well to a Ninja 250, power wise{that's about it}. The thing is, back then, we didn't really think in "small" terms, at least in the group I hung around with. It was natural, normal, economical, and almost expected, to start with those bikes. Pay our dues, so to speak. On typical New England back roads, the smaller bikes didn't give up much ground to the bigger bikes, especially factoring in our relative lack of experience. Oh well, I guess it is all part of our continous lust for bigger, better, everything, that the smaller bikes get left behind. Too bad. I have no regrets starting out on a 250, and have absolutely no doubt in my mind, that starting on that small bike saved my behind from much bigger learning mistakes, on a bigger bike.

[kay]

Oh I LOVE Ninja 250!
It's small yes, but afterall, it IS a sports bike.
40hp? That's impressive!

My standard bike (750cc) only has 53hp with triple the engine size and so much more weight!

Have fun and ride safe!

Oh, forgot to say.......

[Davecm203]

Other good choices in that price would be the Suzuki GS500 or the Kawasaki Ninja 500. They are 500 twins that are fun, more power than the 250, but not too much bike to learn on safely.